Tag: Family

“The Gift” (2015) starring Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, & Joel Edgerton

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The Past Will Be Your Present. -Tagline for the movie

Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) are a young married couple whose life is going just as planned until a chance encounter with an acquaintance from Simon’s high school sends their world into a harrowing tailspin. Simon doesn’t recognize Gordo (Joel Edgerton) at first, but after a series of uninvited encounters and mysterious gifts prove troubling, a horrifying secret from the past is uncovered after more than 20 years. As Robyn learns the unsettling truth about what happened between Simon and Gordo, she starts to question: how well do we really know the people closest to us, and are past bygones ever really bygones? -Synopsis (STX)

This is the 1st film written/directed/produced by Aussie actor Joel Edgerton; I hadn’t seen much of his work before. As he wanted to focus on directing, Edgerton filmed his scenes as Gordo after 2 wks of shooting and completed them in 7 days. He had his hair dyed reddish-brown and wore brown contacts; he naturally has brown hair and blue eyes. This is a 3-hander w/ Edgerton, Bateman (who grew up acting), and Hall (an under-rated British actress from many indies). The cast fit their roles V well; Bateman is known as an easygoing/likeable guy (who the audience will want to root for), while Hall is able to convey strength and vulnerability (w/o saying much).

I’ve been bullied and I’ve also been the bully. –Joel Edgerton (filmmaker) on the theme of the movie

Simon and Gordo grew up near this town in SoCal; Simon and Robyn recently moved into a mid-century modern house (w/ a LOT of glass). Simon has a new job at a big architectural firm; Robyn works from home as an interior designer. They seem to have a loving/strong marriage and want to have kids soon. Edgerton (who has a smaller role than Bateman and Hall) plays Gordo as a socially awkward striver eager to please. He leaves several gifts for the couple; secrets are eventually revealed re: Gordo’s connection to Simon. Bateman gets to stretch himself (show his range) here, esp. in the final act. This is a rare thriller that has (unexpected) thrills, even IF you’re a fan/know this genre well. It is best to go in NOT knowing much; this story will keep you on the edge of your seat (w/ its clever direction).

“American Fiction” (2023) starring Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, & Sterling K. Brown

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SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this post if you haven’t seen, or don’t want to know, details from the movie American Fiction (now playing in theaters).

Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write his own outlandish “Black” book–that propels him into the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain. -Synopsis (MGM/Orion Pictures)

I heard about this indie via TIFF coverage (on pods and YT); it’s based on a novel titled Erasure by Percival Everett. I was V interested to see it after learning that the screenwriter/director grew up in Tucson, AZ (as I did). Cord Jefferson (42 y.o.) worked as a journo for about 8 yrs. before getting into TV; he wrote for Master of None, The Good Place, and Watchmen. This movie (made for less than $10M) was in limited release in DEC 2023; I saw it in mid-JAN 2024 (at AFI) w/ a large/diverse audience. Unlike most (mainstream) films, the main cast is in middle-age (40 and up)- how refreshing! American Fiction is BOTH a comedy and a drama; the literary/publishing story is played for laughs, while the domestic/family story MAY make you cry. This is a must-see film for ppl who want something emotional, funny, and thoughtful!

Agnes Ellison: Geniuses are loners because they can’t connect with the rest of us.

I walked on the set and I felt like we all belonged. When you work with fabulous people, it raises the bar, because you have to meet it. -Leslie Uggams, actress (CBS Sunday Morning, 2/4/24)

Monk (Wright- who was born/raised in DC) isn’t always a likeable protagonist; he’s a BIT of a snobby prof who is distant from his family and frustrated w/ his level of success. Monk has the kind of wit that could push others away; he also has a reliance on alcohol. His younger sister, Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross), is a Boston-based OBGYN (like their father); she looks after their 80 y.o. widowed mom, Agnes (Leslie Uggams). As a teen, Uggams appeared on a variety show; she had a prominent role in the original Roots miniseries. It’s quite a shock when Lisa (suddenly) dies of a heart attack in the 1st act! Monk’s younger brother, Clifford (Sterling K. Brown), is a Tucson-based plastic surgeon who is embracing his (new) life as a gay man. Brown is often seen shirtless (or w/ shirt unbuttoned) to show off his FAB abs! Cliff calls Monk out on his attitude/behaviors, as perhaps ONLY a sibling can do.

Coraline: [to Monk] Not being able to relate to people isn’t a badge of honor.

I was just thinking about kissing him [Wright] everyday. He’d be at the craft services table and I’d mosey up and say: “our scene is coming up,” and he’d go [rolls eyes] “oh boy.” I was like “oh get ready, dude.” -Erika Alexander, actress (CBS Sunday Morning, 2/4/24)

This film reveals that life (incl. the potential for romance) doesn’t end at age 40! At the beach house, Monk connects w/ a neighbor/defense lawyer, Coraline (Erika Alexander); viewers my age may know her from the hit comedy series Living Single (which starred Queen Latifah). Coraline is a V smart/confident woman; she asks Monk on a date first! The Ellison family’s long-time cook, Lorraine (Myra Lucretia Clark), is considered part if the family. Lorraine gets a sweet love story w/ a local cop, Maynard (Raymond Anthony Thomas).

Why aren’t Black professors depicted in books and films as frequently as Black drug addicts, or Black rappers, or Black slaves? Why is it that white people with the power to greenlight films, books, and TV shows have such a limited view of what Black lives should look like? -Cord Jefferson, writer/director

Sintara Golden (Issa Rae) is a young literary star; she writes (urban) books that Monk disdains. His literary agent, Arthur (John Ortiz), sends out Monk’s (joke) book to a big publishing house that rejected his (serious) book. Monk decides to take the $500K deal for his book after learning how expensive senior/assisted-living housing can be. Agnes is in the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease; she will need constant care and attention.

“Saltburn” (2023) starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, & Archie Madekwe

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SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this post if you haven’t seen, or don’t want to know, details from the movie Saltburn (streaming on Amazon Prime).

Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten. -Synopsis

Woo boy- what can I say re: this (unhinged) British/indie movie!? Yikes, it’s hard to put into words suitable for all ages of readers! I was curious b/c I’m a big fan of The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow. I have NOT yet seen the two miniseries of Brideshead Revisited (1981; 2008). After I watched Saltburn (written/directed by Emerald Fennell), I was a BIT surprised that it was free on Amazon Prime. Speaking of shock value, yeah- there are several scenes which were unexpected (rarely depicted in movies)! We’ll never look at bathwater the same way…

Barry Keoghan is trying to create a role out of the disparate parts of other ones (Norman Bates, Tom Ripley, Patrick Bateman), yet doesn’t get all the way there. He couldn’t have. There is no “there.” -Wesley Morris (New York Times)

The cast is made up of (mostly) fine/experienced actors, BUT w/ such poor writing/shallow character development, there isn’t much they can do. Keoghan (an Irish character actor) doesn’t disappoint; it’s TOO bad that this was his 1st leading role. Oliver speaks w/ a Liverpool accent; it is revealed that he comes from a comfortable middle-class family. Elordi (an Aussie who recently played Elvis in Priscilla) has potential; I hadn’t seen his acting before. There are a LOT of shots which linger over his handsome face and tall/lean body; I thought this was overkill (hey, I’m NOT a teenage girl). Felix’s parents, James (Richard E. Grant) and Elspeth (Rosamund Pike) are removed from their feelings and say whatever they want- it’s just absurd. Some critics (incl. POC) weren’t pleased w/ the way Felix’s cousin, Farleigh (Archie Madekwe), was depicted. Taking it back to the Ripley comparison, Farleigh (w/ a Black/American father and white/English mother) reminded me of Freddie Miles (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), as he is one of the few characters suspicious of Oliver’s motives. Just when things could get interesting, Farleigh is removed from the story! Oliver’s socially awkward/Math major friend, Michael, is played by Ewan Mitchell (one of the young stars of House of the Dragon).

This is a V glaring case of style over substance; I noted this before re: other (modern) media. As the time period is 2006/2007 (when Fennell was in college), we see looks which were popular then, incl. pierced eyebrows, bleached (damaged) blonde hair, long belts, etc. The real location for Saltburn is Drayton House in the village of Lowick in North Hampshire; it was built around 1300. Fennell stated she considers this “a vampire movie,” even though the story does not have supernatural elements. Oliver refers to himself as a vampire in the (now infamous) garden scene w/ Felix’s younger sister, Annabel (Sadie Soverall).

[1] For me, unfortunately its third act is probably its most memorable feature because it requires an enormous suspension of disbelief.

[2] The twists – I saw all of them coming, most are heavily contrived, and none felt shocking in the slightest. […] Saltburn is a seriously dull watch, the humour is barely present at all. I would have turned off after about an hour, but having got that far I stayed in hope of a clever ending. Nothing clever here, in fact, rather than clever they went for nonsensical.

[3] …the issue of character: no one in the film is a real person: all of them are pawns to serve the grand plot which, when dissected, falls apart. These aren’t people; they’re vehicles for the screenwriter (director, producer, etc.) to show off an interesting, but ultimately flawed story.

[4] Saltburn is a film that promises much, but delivers little. Despite its grand setting and talented cast, it fails to provide a compelling narrative or engaging characters. It’s a film that tries to be a critique of the English aristocracy and a psychological thriller, but falls short on both counts.

[5] The suspenseful bits aren’t suspenseful. The funny bits aren’t funny and the sexy bits aren’t sexy.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“Moonstruck” (1987) starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, & Danny Aiello

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Ronny Cammareri: I’m in love with you.

Loretta Castorini: [slaps him twice] Snap out of it!

No sooner does Italian-American widowed bookkeeper, Loretta Castorini (Cher), accept a marriage proposal from her dull bf, Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello), she finds herself falling for his younger/hot-headed brother, Ronny (Nicolas Cage- at only 23 y.o.) She tries to resist, BUT Ronny (who lost a hand in an accident) still blames on his brother; he has no scruples about pursuing Loretta while Johnny is in Italy. Loretta (whose conventional life is shaken up) falls deeply in love; she also learns that she’s NOT the only one in her family w/ a secret romance. There is tension in their (spacious Brooklyn) house btwn Loretta’s father/plumber, Cosmo (Vincent Gardino), and homemaker mother, Rose (Olympia Dukakis).

Ronny Cammareri: Loretta, I love you. Not like they told you love is, and I didn’t know this either, but love don’t make things nice – it ruins everything. It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess. We aren’t here to make things perfect. The snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us. Not us! We are here to ruin ourselves and to break our hearts and love the wrong people and die. The storybooks are bullshit. Now I want you to come upstairs with me and get in my bed!

They don’t make movies like this anymore! You can watch it w/ your family (w/o cringing), the older characters are developed, and there is terrific dialogue. Though it is grounded in a specific NYC neighborhood and family, there is a soaring romance at the center. John Patrick Shanley said he was “starving” and “struggling to pay rent” (in NYC) when he wrote the screenplay. He’d worked mainly as a playwright before, BUT it didn’t bring in much money. Moonstruck (based on Shanley’s real-life experience of growing up w/ Italian-American friends/neighbors) is one of the few rom coms that earned a Best Picture Oscar. Its director, Norman Jewison (who passed away last week at age 97), noted how rare that was (in a 2006 doc about the film). Jewison worked on a LOT of great movies in his (long/successful) career, incl. In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), A Soldier’s Story (1984), and The Hurricane (1999).

Cher won Best Actress, Dukakis won Best Supporting Actress, and Shanley won Best Original Screenplay- wow! The studio didn’t think Cage was right, BUT Cher stood up for him, even saying she’d quit if he wasn’t hired. Julie Bovasso (who also plays Loretta’s aunt Rita Cappomaggi) helped some actors w/ their (Italian/Brooklyn) accents. This was Aiello’s 1st time working in comedy. The cast had considerable time to rehearse; this is rare for Hollywood movies nowadays. My fave scene is the one where Rose goes out to dinner and makes an unexpected connection w/ a prof, Perry (John Mahoney) who usually dates younger women. Of course, we discover that Rose wouldn’t get involved w/ him; she is too grounded in her values and still loves her husband.

“Anatomy of a Fall” (2023) starring Sandra Huller, Swann Arlaud, & Milo Machado Graner

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SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this post if you haven’t seen, or don’t want to know, details from the movie Anatomy of a Fall (available to rent/buy on VOD).

A woman is suspected of her husband’s murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness. -Synopsis

Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis) is found dead in the snow outside the isolated chalet (in the French Alps) where he lived w/ his wife, Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller), and their partially-sighted 11 y.o. son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner). An investigation leads to the conclusion of “suspicious death,” as it’s impossible to know for sure whether he took his own life or was killed. Sandra’s old friend, Vincent Renzi (Swann Arlaud), is her lead defense attorney. Sandra is indicted, so we follow her trial, where her marriage is dissected. The French legal system is quite different from our own! Daniel is caught in the middle- btwn the trial and life w/ his mother.

When we started working on this film, it was like a genre film. We have so many thrillers on all the platforms and I wanted to do something different. The original idea was to have a film where there was a lack of visual elements and images, unlike films which depict a trial where there are all sorts of flashbacks and you see the life of the couple – that might have been easier – I could have shown their lives in that manner. But everything is based on absence. The child doesn’t see very well and there aren’t many images, yet you have this loud, loud music which is a focal point for the film. Whence the idea of placing the spectator in a position like the child or the jurors where there’s a lack of facts and evidence – everything is interlinked. This delirium springs from the fact that there’s so much that’s missing. -Justine Triet, director/co-writer (Cannes 2023)

Sandra [testifying in court]: Sometimes a couple is kind of a chaos and everybody is lost. Sometimes we fight together and sometimes we fight alone, and sometimes we fight against each other, that happens.

The screenplay was written by Triet (who started her career in documentaries) and her life partner, Arthur Harari. They have 2 kids together and started writing this movie in the COVID-19 pandemic (when under lockdown in Paris). This movie is a blend of domestic and legal drama- something which we (Americans) don’t often see. Triet explained that she was influenced by the Amanda Knox case, esp. how the young American woman was treated by the media. She noted that there was a LOT of misogyny in the way the press covered that case.

Sandra [to her son, Daniel]: My love. I just want you to know that I’m not that monster, you know. Everything you hear in the trial it’s just.. it’s twisted. It wasn’t like that.

Anatomy of a Fall (which is in English and French) won the Palm d’Or at Cannes. Language plays an important part here. We notice that English is the language that Samuel (a Frenchman) and Sandra (German) have in common. Daniel can speak English and French well; it’s easier for adolescents to pick up languages. At times, Sandra is at a loss for the appropriate French words in court, so she requests to speak in English (which is allowed).

The lead character is NOT always likeable and remains somewhat mysterious; some may wonder IF Sandra could be guilty. IMO- no- she was innocent (though that’s NOT the only focus of the filmmakers). In the middle of the movie, there is a flashback to a fight btwn her and Samuel. Some viewers said they were shocked by how realistic it seemed! As some of you may’ve guessed, Triet said that she was inspired by the fight btwn. the characters played by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson in Marriage Story (2019). Sandra was more successful as a writer than her husband; Samuel earned money by teaching. Daniel (a V smart/sensitive boy) was closer to his father than his mother; his loyal dog is his constant companion.

The film moves towards this point, where it’s the child who becomes the centerpiece of the trial. What does the film talk about? It talks about a child – he carries around a very heavy weight. He’s very close to his mother, he trusts her and then there are cracks that appear and he effectively finds himself in the position of the jury; in other words having to decide whether his mother is guilty or not. We’ll never know. We’ll never know whether his testimony is true or not. I was deeply touched to see this kind of situation and it’s particularly moving as a child. I think this is the first film where I’ve really given the floor to a child. The whole of the film moves towards this point. -Triet, when asked re: the testimony of the son in the trial (Cannes 2023)

I’d heard positive buzz about this movie for several mos. before I saw it (by renting on Amazon Prime). I enjoyed it a LOT, as it subverted my expectations; IMO it’s one of the best movies of 2023! The acting is terrific, incl. by Graner and the dog (Huller’s pet IRL). Huller is garnering attention for Zone of Interest, as that film was also released in 2023. The advocat general (Antoine Reinertz) is a tough prosecutor; he has a quick wit. Some critics said that they loved to hate him! Arlaud (keeps things grounded/has charm) has the kind of (angular) face which looks different from different angles; he and Huller have great chemistry. At a recent awards event, Triet joked w/ a journo and Graner: “Doesn’t he look like a baby Adam Driver?” Such a cute moment! Check this movie out for yourself, IF you haven’t done so already.